Having
heard our Associate Editor Muguette
Goufrani sing the praises of her life and
times in Cote d'Ivoire and other West
African countries, I was full of
anticipation as we boarded the Air Afrique
jet at the Cotonou, Benin Airport, bound
for the legendary Ivory Coast. As
serendipity plays a big part in many of my
African journeys, the first Ivorian we
chanced to meet en route was a Mr. Gakpo,
"The Lobster Man of Abidjan" (a possible
song title), who kindly invited us to stay
at his seaside inn the following
week.That
opportunity was a special treat for
several reasons, one being that the Inter
Continental Hotel Ivoire was full to the
rafters and rooftops, due to an
Africa-wide financial
summit.
Continued

A
land of old civilizations, unique
cultures, colorful life and unmatched
hospitalitybyfMariama Ludovic de Lys

Mali
was the core of the great empires of the
western Sudan : Ghana, Mali, and Songhai,
with centers of trade, learning, and
culture in such cities as Djenné,
Timbuktu, and Gao. The state of Ghana
originated early in the Christian era and
reached its apogee betweem 950 and 1050.
The empire of Mali originated in the 11th
century, and its period of greatness began
under Sundiata, who ruled from 1235 to
1255 and reached its peak in the early
14th century under Mansa Musa, who
extended the empire until it reached from
the Atlantic coast to east of
Gao.The
decline of Mali was rapid, although the
kings continued to rule until 1645. Its
place was taken by the Songhoi Empire of
Gao, whose great kings were Sunni Ali from
1464 to 1492, and Askia Muhammad, from
1493 to 1528. At its greatest extent,
Songhoi reached from the Atlantic to Kano
and included most modern Mali and parts of
Guinea. Most of the empire was destroyed
by Moroccan invasion in 1591.
Continued

As the
millennium's first year drew to a dramatic
close, two landmark events occurred almost
simultaneously; a Global Summit on Peace
through Tourism in Amman Jordan, followed
within weeks by an Africa wide Ecotourism
Symposium in Abuja, Nigeria. In my mind,
both events will impact Africa's Tourism
outlook positively for the entire century.
Six months earlier in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, the Africa Travel Association
(ATA) celebrated its 25th Jubilee
Congress. As guns and mortars blazed on
their distant border, nothing was more
evident amongst Ethiopians I met in Addis
and five other cities we visited, than the
deep desire for
peace.Continued